Clamp with wedge means



April 29, 1958 R MULDER CLAMP WITH WEDGE MEANS Filed Aug. '5, 1953INVENTOR.

'PuDoL MuLmzR United CLAMP W 1TH WEDGE MEANS Rudolf Mulder, Santpoort,Netherlands, assignor to Elly Estie, Santpoort, Netherlands, and N. V.Fabrieken van Klinknagels en Schroefbouten P. van Thiel & Zoned, Beck enBonk, Netherlands, a corporation of the Netherlands Application August3, 1953, Serial No. 371,8h2

Claims priority, application Netherlands August 18, 1952 3 Claims. (Cl.24-251) The present invention relates to a clamp for pipes, moreparticularly for scafioldings, which clamp is provided with clampingparts arranged crosswise, in which parts pipes crossing each other atright angles, are adapted to be clamped by means of clamping pieces(clamping straps) and keys or wedges.

In actual practice it has been found that to the existing clamps of thistype the drawback attaches that, for example if the clamps are to beapplied close to each other, it is not always possible to properly drivehome one or more of the wedges, because the space required for 1,-

wielding the hammer is lacking.

This invention is based on the recognition that this drawback is due tothe fact that in the known clamps of the type indicated the wedges canonly be driven home in one direction, for all of said wedges are singleacting.

The above drawback is eliminated if according to the invention theWedges permanently connected with the clamp are double acting, i. e.they can be driven home in the one or in the opposite direction atchoice.

In a practical embodiment of the constructional principle on which theinvention is based each wedge may be constructed according to theinvention as two keys that taper wedge-like in the same direction saidkeys being separated by a longitudinal slot and being interconnected atthe two ends of said slot; said two keys, therefore, I

together form one wedging member that is permanently connected to thecoupling; each clamping part of the clamp may then be provided with aneye, according to the invention, which eye-at least partly-is located atthe one side of a forked end of the corresponding clamp piece (clampingstrap) of the clamp in the plane of the slot between the prongs of thefork, the double acting wedge concerned being connected to the eyepassing through the slot, the arrangement being such that the wedge canbe brought from a position for driving it home in the one direction intothe position for driving it home in the opposite directon by turning itthrough 180 about the eye.

The forked end of the clamping piece (clamping strap) is then sodimensioned relatively to one end of the wedge that the wedge by turningit about the eye may be brought in a position such that the forked endof the clamping piece (the clamping strap) may pass the wedge so thatsaid clamping piece admits of being opened.

With a clamp according to the invention it is, therefore, possible, by asimple manipulation with the wedges to bring these in the most suitableposition for driving them home in the one or in the opposite direction,while also, as circumstances may require, the clamp can be mounted inreversed position about a pair of crossing tubes, without thispresenting difiiculties as regards the driving home of the wedges; bycorrespondingly turning a wedge about its eye, said wedge can always bebrought in the position in which it can be driven home in the desireddirection.

The drawing illustrates the invention with a single emhodiment.

Patent Q Figure 1 shows, more or less schematically, a clamp comprisingdouble acting wedges according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows a part thereof in plan view.

The clamp according to the drawing comprises two clamping parts 1 and 2which form a cross and in which tubes 3 and 4 for example of ascaffolding, which cross each other at right angles, rest. Each tube isclamped in its associated clamping part by means of a clamping strap 5and 6 respectively. These clamping straps are identical, so that only adescription of the clamping strap 5 need be given. This strap has aforked end with prongs '7 and 3, between which an eye 9 of the clampingpart 1 is located. Through the registering holes in the prongs and theeye a hinge pin 10 passes, the ends of which are secured in the prongs.The clamping strap 5 is also forked at its other end, the prongs 11 and12 being located farther apart than the prongs at the first-named end ofthe strap.

Between the prongs 11 and 12 an eye 13 permanently secured to theclamping part 1, is located, the hole in the eye extending partly abovesaid prongs. The reference numeral 14 designates a double acting wedgewhich con sists of two wedge halves 16 and 17, which are separated by alongitudinal slot 15 and which have their ends interconnected.

The slot 15 has parallel straight walls 18 and 19. The one end of thewedge designated by 2%) is a little narrower than the distance betweenthe prongs l1 and 12, so that when the wedge is positioned as shown inFigure 2 the clamping strap can be opened.

From the lower half of Figure 1 it appears how the wedge can be drivenhome from the left hand or from the right hand side; by turning thewedge about the eye 13 it can \be brought from the position shown infull lines into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure l andconversely.

I claim:

1. A scaffolding clamp comprising two portions hinged to each other toclamp around a scafiolding member, one portion having a U-shapedaperture therein and the other portion having an eye thereon projectingthrough said U-shapcd aperture in the closed position of said clamp, andwedge means comprising a pair of wedges tapering in the same directionand positioned side by side with their adjacent edges substantiallyparallel and the nonadjacent edges tapering toward each other and beingsmooth, end portions connecting said wedges at the ends thereof todefine a longitudinal slot therebetween, the end portion connecting theends of said wedges where the non-adjacent edges are closest to eachother being passed through said eye, whereby said wedge means may bedriven through the eye to wedge the eye and the apertured member and thewedge means is always attached to said clamp.

2. In a scaffolding clamp having two portions hinged to each other toclamp around a scaffolding member, one portion having a U-shapedaperture therein and the other portion having an eye thereon projectingthrough the U-shaped aperture in the closed position of the clamp, thatimprovement comprising wedge means: consisting of a pair of wedgestapering in the same direction and positioned side by side with theiradjacent edges substantially parallel and the non-adjacent edgestapering toward each other and being smooth, end portions connectingsaid wedges at the ends thereof to define a longitudinal slottherebetween, the end portion connecting the ends of said wedges wherethe non-adjacent edges are closest to each other being passed throughsaid eye, whereby said wedge means may be driven through the eye towedge the eye and the apertured member and the wedge means is alwaysattached to said clamp.

3. The improvement as claimed in claim 2 in which 894,104 Batt July 2,1908 the dimension of the end portion connecting the narrow 1,570,226Bosco Jan. 19, 1926 ends of the wedges and the narrow ends of saidwedges 1,660,708 Grant Feb. 28, 1928 are less than the width of theU-shaped aperture, whereby 2,477,696 Kohnke Aug. 2, 1949 the narrow endof said wedge means can pass through 5 FOREIGN PATENTS said U-shapedaperture.

343,865 Italy Oct. 16, 1936 References Cited in the file of this patentUNITED STATES PATENTS 389,217 Glenn Sept. 11, 1888

